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Ethnically Speaking, June 13

by Larry Meeks

Dear Larry: In recent years, my favorite theater company has been serving up some casting decisions that I've found both distracting and distressing.

Black actors are being cast in pivotal roles for characters whose white ethnicity is essential to the stories, the places and the periods. Casting blacks in the plays "Our Town" and "The Music Man" is something that is just off-the-wall. Those plays took place in small-town America in the early 20th century. These town ...

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Posted by: Beth
Comment: #1
Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:34 PM

I strongly disagree with the writer of this letter. Theater in my mind has always been a "free" medium, as in free of racism, sexism, ageism, and the like. Example: When I was in school, years ago, the casting of Oliver's title character when to a young black woman, who played it marvelously, as she was extremely talented.

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